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Cemetery files overdue reports

FOREST HILLS—Forest Hills Cemetery filed overdue annual reports with the state in January, when the Gazette began pointing out their absence.

The historic, nonprofit cemetery at 95 Forest Hills Ave. had never filed annual reports, despite being required to do by a 1985 law, according to Secretary of State’s Office spokesperson Brian McNiff. The reports show the organization’s officers, administrative address and confirm that it is holding annual meetings.

In January, the cemetery filed reports for the years 2002 through 2011. Most were filed on Jan. 20, the day the Gazette published an article about their absence. The 2011 report was filed earlier, as the Gazette began interviewing officials, and the 2006 report was filed a few days later.

Cemetery CEO George Milley told the Gazette that the state had never asked for the reports and noted that the information on them is “minimal.” The cemetery holds an annual meeting and publishes an internal annual report, he said.

The Forest Hills Educational Trust, a separate nonprofit that shares office space with the cemetery and organizes its arts and cultural programming, has filed regular annual reports through fiscal 2010 with the state Attorney General’s Office. The trust still has not filed its 2011 report. The trust controversially halted most of its programming last year before resuming some of it this year.

According to the cemetery’s 2011 annual report, its main officials include: George Milley of Peabody, CEO; Earling Hanson of Falmouth, president; Michael Greene of Boston, secretary; Kevin George of Dorchester, treasurer; and Richard Horan of Wellesley, director.